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Chapters (67)
  1. Big Boned
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. One Month Later
  60. Acknowledgments
  61. About the Author
  62. Copyright
  63. About the Publisher
  64. Backad 1
  65. Backad 2
  66. Backad 3
  67. Backad 4

I burst out laughing. “Now you’re trying to talk to me like a mother. What happened to go out and do whatever?” I continued to laugh; it was a hysterical, panicked laugh that soon turned into a tearless sob. I looked from my mother to Xander, and then I just grabbed my paints and ran back to my car.

I was driving, again. I’d never just driven like this in Joburg. I guess I’d never felt such a need to get away from it all. But the driving did little to distance me from all the feelings; in fact, I was just lugging them along with me. I went up Chapman’s Peak, the long road that took you around the mountain was supposed to be the most beautiful part of Cape Town. But I was struggling to see any beauty in this place anymore. After driving aimlessly for an hour, I decided to head back. I couldn’t run from this forever, but as I headed back, I saw it . . . my mother.

She was smiling down at me from a giant billboard, and it pissed me off. Her face blocked the view behind her, to the sea and the mountain, and I’d never wanted to unsee anything more in my entire life. It pissed me off so much that when the traffic light turned green on this dark, empty street, I didn’t pull away. Instead, I parked my car and stared at her, our eyes locked in an intense death stare. And then I nodded at her, because I knew what needed to happen. I grabbed my bag of paints and Jake’s BWH cap, and climbed out of the car.

40

I woke up the next morning at around noon. I don’t think I’d ever slept this late, but I’d been out all night. I walked downstairs to find my mother sitting in the lounge. I didn’t bother to say hello until I heard her talking to someone. And then I saw who she was talking to.

“Where’s Zac. Is he all right?” I asked. The last time I’d seen police was the day the doves cried.

My mother turned slowly, avoiding eye contact. “Zac’s fine. He’s in his room. These gentlemen are here about the vandalism.”

“What vandalism?” I asked quietly.

“My billboard. Some criminal painted over the entire thing. Painted me into the background, as if I was invisible. Can you believe it?” She turned back to the police. “And as I was saying, that advertising space cost me fifty thousand rand! And now someone in Cape Town is running around destroying public property. It’s disgraceful.”

One of the policemen nodded. “We’ll definitely look into it, but these things rarely get solved. Unless someone actually saw who did it.”